The House of Durin
by Tears and Rain
Summary: One-shots centered on Uncle Thorin and his two young nephews, Fili and Kili. Family. Humor. Fluff. Angst. The usual. I am happy to take requests.
1. The Oaken Shield

**A/N: This is my first attempt at seriously writing (and posting) for The Hobbit... or Lord of the Rings! Wow, that's odd, considering I've been a fan of them for years. Anywho, on my first time I pansied out and wrote Kid!Fili and Kili! You could say it's 'cause I don't _really_ have to worry about OOCness, but it's honestly because they're so cute! This fanfiction is inspired by Thorin's majestic Uncleness and and this drawing:**

** piiib. tumblr [dot com] post/ 39120845558/ oakenshield-is-just-a-toy-to-them-xd**

**I OWN NEITHER THE DRAWING NOR THE CHARACTERS!**

**Word Count: 1,327**

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"Uncle!" Fili raced through the narrow hall way and squeezed past the wooden table and chairs, his brother right behind him. Thorin stood in the doorway of their home, wiping the fresh mud off of his boots with the help of a wooden block kept specifically for this purpose. He looked down when two young dwarves plowed into him and both their heads gently with a fond look on his face. "You're finally back!" Kili pounced up and down in excitement while still clutching his uncle's tunic.

Thorin looked down at the two boys and and smile broke out when he saw their eagerness. "And at your service, Little One. Go tell your mother I've returned and then you can tell me whatever it is you wish to. Without a moment to spare, Fili and Kili were racing through the house again, hollering for their mother.

The grown dwarf shook his head fondly as the dark and light heads of hair disappeared around the corner and quickly finished cleaning off his boots. Once he was done with that, he took the direction his nephews had run off to and found his sister working in the kitchen and preparing a meal, the children dancing around her. "Dis," he voiced, in way of greeting.

Dis looked up from the wood stove with a happy smile on her face. She made her way over to him and held him close when they met. "Little brother," she said. "You look tired. Have you done nothing to rest? Perhaps switch your shift to day instead of night."

Thorin sighed. No matter how many times thy had this conversation before, his sister still would not listen. He took her hand and led her to a couple of chairs in the corner, for he was weary of sitting. "Most smithies are closed in the night. I can charge more if I am their only option which is an advantage I need to feed us."

Dis scowled and distractedly pulled Fili onto her lap when a small and hushed fight broke out between him and his brother. "When these two are grown I can help to support us again."

"As will they. But for now, your hot meals and kind words do more good than you can imagine." Dis smiled fondly at his praising of her and pulled him closer for a kiss on the temple.

"Um, Mother?" Kili's worried tone broke the siblings' moment and they turned to Dis' youngest son, who was holding up a spoon which he had dipped into his uncle's cooking soup. "I think this is burning."

Fili was very quickly (but carefully) set down from his mother's lap just before she rushed over to save her cooking. Thorin chuckled lightly and took his two nephews back to the dining room to give his sister some space. "Now, boys," he said when they were sat down at the table. "What was it you wished to tell me?"

Kili climbed onto his uncle's lap with much effort and just a little help from Thorin. "Do you remember when you left for work last night?"

"Yes."

"And you told us a story? About how you fought the big white orc?"

Thorin smiled, and he tried to keep it from being a sad one. His nephews had heard the story of the fall of their kingdom as little more than a story; it was long ago to them, and before their time. They did not understand that every second of the lives they lived showed the consequences. They were particularly fond of the times that Thorin spoke of the White Orc.

They loved to hear of their uncle being heroic and saving their people and they subconsciously blocked out the death of their great grandfather and many others, and then the loss of their home. Thorin didn't know if it was for better or for worse, but he also shielded them from the truths and the points of the stories. He knew that as they grew older they would realize the full meaning of his tales.

"Well, we were thinking and... we were wondering if-"

Fili rolled his eyes. "Can we see the shield?"

Thorin looked to Fili. "The Oaken Shield?" Both boys nodded their heads ecstatically. "It's locked in a chest right now. Would you like me to fetch it?"

"Yes, _please_!"

"Can I carry it?"

Fili sent his brother an odd look. "You can't _carry _it, Kili! It's too big! Uncle said it was really heavy, and you're puny. I bet it's taller than you," he taunted.

When Kili made to lunge in quick anger, Thorin held him back. "Enough! If you allow me to help you, Kili, you may hold it." Fili gasped while Kili cheered as Thorin stood up, still holding his nephew. The trio made their way to Thorin's room and the chest at the foot of his bed. Setting his nephew down, he took a key from a chain around his neck and used it to unlock the box.

The little dwarves jumped up and hugged each other when the lid was opened enough for them to see the shield, even if it was hidden by shadows. "Is that it?" Fili breathed, holding onto the edge of the chest.

"Yes, it is." Thorin reached down and pulled the block of wood out before placing it on his own lap. "Kili, come here." When the boy did so, he held the shield horizontal and eye level. "Hold your hands out. I'm going to let go just a little bit and you have to catch it. Do you understand?" Awed Kili just nodded, never letting his eyes leave the shield. He pushed his hands out in front of him, palms up, and Thorin slowly lowered the shield into his hands, not loosening his grip a bit.

Kili's eyes widened with glee when he felt the cool and rough wood on his hand. "Fili!" He yelled. "I'm touching it!" Thorin smiled and lifted it.

"It's your brother's turn now, Kili. Trade places with him." After they repeated the process, Thorin made to put his shield away when both boys exclaimed their disapproval and clung to his arm. "Please leave it out!"

"You can put it on the table so we can keep looking at it!" Fili suggested.

After deliberating for a few moments, Thorin nodded. "All right. Let's go back to the table and I'll help you up."

The Oaken Shield was put in the center of the table where it couldn't be pushed over the edge without serious effort and strength which Kili and Fili did not yet have, and Thorin lifted both his nephews up as well so that thy could sit on their knees and inspect it all they wished. Thorin sat and watched them for a few minutes, content to see how happy and care free they were and trying to remember when he was the same.

He heard Dis come up behind him and felt her hand on his shoulder. "Why do you let them do this?" She asked him. "Why do you allow them to hold a piece of warfare as if it were a play thing?"

Thorin smiled when he saw Kili and Fili try to lift one end of the wooden block together and nothing happened. "There will come a day when the Oaken Shield will bring them little more than grief and they will understand what it represents and means to me and all else who were at that battle on that day. But for now, they are young and see it as nothing more than proof that their mother's brother is a strong warrior and a zealous leader. Let them enjoy their innocence while they can. Let them see it as a toy instead of a weapon."

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**Review! If you review nicely I'll be inclined to write more. :) Seriously, though. I have a onee-shot that has over fifty favorites and not ten reviews. While I really appreciate the favorites (I really do) reviews make me so happy.**


	2. The Smithy

**A/N: First of all, thank you again, all who reviewed, followed, and added to your favorites! :) I'm very happy that you did so. Kimberly, the response to your review is at the bottom of this page. :)**

**Second, the reason this fic below is shorter, but kinda like the last one and pretty melancholy, ****_and_**** even a bit off is: my creativity crashed yesterday and I haven't been able to bring it to working order yet. :) So, in the meantime, if you have requests/prompts, I'd love to hear them. There isn't a %100 guarantee I'll write what you send 'cause I have a strict no OOC rule and some prompts can get pretty wacky...**

**Anywho, if you have something Kid!Fili and/or Kid!Kili that you'd like to read but don't want to write yourself, then please, do tell... In a review. :) Onward!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... But a whole %100 of nothing could be seen as great right?**

**Word Count: 932**

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Kili and Fili watched in weary wonder as their uncle sharpened a blade in the smithy. They stared as the sparks flew and sometimes flinched back when they though the bright lights were coming too close. After a few minutes, Thorin lifted the blade from the no longer spinning wheel and ran his fingers along the edge and tip of it. "Is it sharp yet?" Fili asked.

"Can I touch it?" Kili followed.

Thorin glanced at them where they were sitting on an old dirty chest against a wall. "It's very sharp, so no. You can not touch it." When he saw Kili's disappointed face his own softened. "But you can bring me that." Kili looked to where his uncle guestered and hopped off his seat, headed to an old looking cloth folded in a corner of the workshop. Bringing it to his uncle, wrinkled his nose and held his breath at the flying dust.

Taking the cloth with a small but thankful smile, Thorin carefully wrapped the sword in it. Then he slid the weapon into a long and thin leather pouch before hanging that up on a wall for a waiting customer. After taking off his working apron, he let his hair loose and put his forging tools away. "The sun is fully risen," he turned to his nephews and held out his hands for them to take. "It is time for us to make for home." After he had a hold on each boys' hand he made his way out of the raggedy shop.

Both Kili and Fili leaned heavily on him. They were tired from the long night, though not much work had been done by them. Thorin smiled faintly and stoppd when Fili stumbled on a rock and held himself up entirely by his uncle's arm until he regained his footing. The boys had decided one day that they wanted to see their uncle at work. Since Thorin worked through all hours of the night, though, it was rather difficult to find a good time for this.

So they had spent over a week getting the children to bed a little later and letting them sleep in a bit more until sleeping all day and staying awake at night was almost normal. Once that was accomplished, Thorin took them to his work at sunset and patiently explained to them how most things worked and what tools were for what while finishing off the last of his tasks. "Thank you for acting as my company tonight," he said.

"It wasn't that hard..." Kili mumbled. "But we did... sleep once, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Fili agreed, covering a large yawn with his free hand. "I don't r'member a little bit."

"You both dozed off for a few minutes," No reason to tell them that it was a few hours, "But you did better than I could at your age."

Kili sighed and nuzzled his uncles' warm sleeve. "What was this place like when you were or age?" He asked.

Thorin looked around and wondered what this place _would_ have looked like. "I do not know, Kili. When I was your age I lived in Erebor; the land that was taken from us by Smaug."

"The dragon?" Fili poked his head under Thorin's arm and looked up at him. "The one that you fought?"

The dwarf laughed. "I did not fight the dragon, Fili. None of us did; it was too large to wound."

"Oh." His nephew sounded a bit disappointed, but then he thought of something. "If you did fight it, would you have gotten hurt?"

"Yes. I may have even lost my life; the dragon was more terrible than you can imagine."

"If you fought it now would you win?" Kili asked.

"Probably not; I do not have an army or weapons and armor to fight with."

"What about later?"

Thorin thought for a bit. "Perhaps much, much later with much time spent in preparation."

"Maybe we can go on a quest," Fili shot up, with new found energy. "When Kili and I are older, I mean. The three of us can go back to the mountain and fight the dragon!"

"Yes!" Kili exclaimed, quickly switching sides so that both the brothers were on Thorin's right. "And we'll carry the food and water on ponies, and we'll keep our weapons with us, of course,"

"Of course," Fili echoed with a stern tone he must have got from his mother.

Thorin shook his head in amusement while at the same time he tried to keep out the growing sadness and worry he felt. Fili and Kili were as naive as they could get; they were so care free and unblemished. But they were growing older. Soon enough they would know what it truly meant to kill someone, and that danger wasn't the cause of only the tickling feeling in your stomach. Soon enough, they would grow up. And knew he would hate to see that happen.

When they finally arrived "home", the children were too tired to eat the breakfast which their mother had made for them. They immediately pulled off their boots and cloaks and crawled into their beds, no longer caring if they yawned. Thorin stood in the open door way and watched their little faces while their mother sang them a sweet lullaby. He hadn't realized how lonely his work was, without those two around. But now that they had been there, he knew the shop would always feel a bit empty without their presence.

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**I don't like this chapter and it's making me sad...**

**So, you who gave feedback last chapter know how much I like reviews, and how happy I am when I get them. If it wouldn't be too much trouble... do it again, please? :) Lead by example and all that jazz?**

**Everyone, please review! Over three hundred people read the last chapter and thirteen awesome people reviewed. While I love favorites, reviews show specifically what you liked/didn't like and that's kinda important. It goes known by all that follows are awesome.**


	3. Fallen Ill - for sph9swc

**A/N: It was requested by ****_sph9swc_**** that I write a one-shot on Thorin being ill or hurt and his family looking after him. That honestly had been my original intent for this, but as I told someone before, I know how I want my stories to go, but I don't have outlines. I just write what works in usually one go. If it's changed it's changed. :) sph9swc, if you want a part 2 of this with Thorin's health getting worse and more angst involved, or just the ways that Fili and Kili's ways of keeping Thorin company, tell me. 'Cause I did kind of mess up your request.**

**The usual disclaimer. If I owned it, I'd tell you. I'm not telling you.**

_**Kimberly.**_** Sorry, I didn't put the response at the bottom of last chapter. It's here now. *sheepish smile*****_ castielswingman._**** Yours is down there as well. :)**

**Word Count: 1,360 (give or take two or three)**

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Fili and Kili slowly crept into Thorin's room, careful to not let the door squeak. Their mother had told them to be extra quiet around their uncle when he was in bed. They shuffled over to the dwarf's bed side, and stood on their tip toes to be able to see the inhabitant. Thorin's face was pale, but there were big circles around his closed eyes that were really dark. His hair was braided back and away from his face, which looked rather odd to the two boys, but they were hardly paying attention to that at a time like this.

Mother had said that Uncle Thorin was sick. At first this puzzled the two because none of them had ever been sick before, except thy were told that Dis was both times she was carrying them in her stomach because she didn't have enough to eat for two. They both felt a little guilty when hearing that, but Uncle had gotten her better, so not too much. And still, it was different. They were actually looking at a sick person this time, and not just hearing about it.

Mother had also said that Uncle was sick because he workd too hard and didn't get enough sleep. And the reason he was in bed was because he needed to catch up on lost sleep. She had sounded sad when she said this, but neither Fili nor Kili knew why; to them, sleeping was fun. It was a little past sunset now, and Uncle had been in bed since sunrise. This was normally the time that he went to work in his weapons shop, as the boys called it, and they had come in to see if he felt like getting up yet.

"Uncle?" Kili poked Thorin in the arm and frowned when the sleeping dwarf did not open his eyes. "Fili?" He turned to his older brother.

"You've got to be louder than that. If he's tired, he's probably not gonna wake from your quiet voice." Fili cleared his throat and shook Thorin's wrist. "Uncle," he called sharply, but not too loud. "Can we talk to you?"

After a few seconds, Thorin opened his eyes, but closed them again before he could see that his two nephews were by his bed. After a few more prods, though, he was blinking himself awake. He turned his head to the right and saw two pairs of eyes staring at him with both curious and almost excited expressions. Not feeling terribly creative, Thorin simply asked, "yes?"

"Mother said that you were sick," Kili said, as if the bedridden dwarf hadn't already known.

"I'm just tired, Little One. Your mother is over reacting. I should be up and about tomorrow."

Kili smiled at that. "Good. You look odd like this."

Thorin couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, I probably do."

Fili frowned. "Why does your voice sound scratchy?"

"I haven't had any water to drink in a while. Kili, would you mind getting me some?"

"Sure!" Kili let go of the edge of his uncle's bed and made to leave, but Fili grabbed him and whispered something in his ear.

After the youngest boy had nodded enthusiastically and left, Fili turned back to an uncle with a raised eyebrow. "And what was that all about?"

Fili shrugged. "Nothing, really."

Kili approached his mother's kitchen with an innocent look on his face. Dis was in the corner making what looked to be a scarf, and she didn't see when he walked in. Pretending not to notice her, he slowly and quietly slid a wooden cup from a low shelf. Just before he had left Uncle's room, Fili had reminded him that Mother had told them to leave Thorin alone while he slept and to not get caught bringing him water.

He had just tipped the cup into the water barrel when his mother looked up from her project. "What are you doing?" She asked. Kili almost dropped his cup when he heard Dis' voice, but had managed to keep two fingers holding the top hard.

"I - I'm thirsty," he said. "You were busy so I thought I'd just get some by myself. I'm taller now. I can reach. See?" Kili stretched up and stood on the tips of his toes and showed his mother that he could scoop half a cup's worth of water on his own.

Dis smiled. "Yes, I see. But still..." she put her scarf down and took the cup from him. "You could have asked for my help." She handed him the now full cup of water and smoothed down his bangs.

"Thanks," Kili said wholeheartedly and sipped the drink to make extra sure that Mother knew it was really for him.

Kili came back to Thorin's room and gave him the drink, which was thankfully accepted. He saw that Fili had found a way to get onto the bed and was now sitting in the empty space between their uncles' feet and the end of the bed. "Can I get up there?" Fili mentally measured Kili's height and length, and then evaluated the space left on the bed.

He shook his head sadly. "No."

"There's a chair in the corner of the room, Kili." Thorin gestured to a thin wooden chair. "It should be light enough for you to sit on." It was indeed. It took a few seconds for Kili to drag the chair next to Thorin's bed, but soon enough he was sitting cross - legged by Thorin's head.

"What did you talk about while I was gone?"

"Uncle said we might get swords soon!" Fili bounced slightly on his knees and grinned at his brother.

"Wooden swords." Thorin added. "I've been meaning to make you both some weapons to play with for a while now. The idea of being in this bed for so long is making me remember all the things I should be doing."

"We could bring you your tools," Kili offered.

"Or you could let him rest." Dis' soft voice came from the door way and both her sons flipped around to see her. "Kili," she looked disappointingly at him. "You told me the water was for yourself. Why didn't you just tell me your uncle was awake?"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Kili said. "But you told us not to come in here while he was sleeping, and I really wanted to talk to him!"

Dis smiled patiently before walking over and setting both Fili and Kili on the floor. "We'll talk about this later," she said. "Now go get ready for sleep. I'll be in to say good night soon."

Both boys sighed, but said their "good night"s before slipping out the door and closing it behind them.

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When they were gone Dis turned to her brother. "You should be resting."

"I was thirsty and the boys were keeping me company while I drank," Thorin defended.

"So you woke on your own?" Dis won with a somehow fond smirk. "You _do_ need to rest, Thorin."

"And I will! Tonight. But tomorrow I can't. My work needs me. I have many blades blunt and weapons half forged. I can not break the deals already made with my customers."

"I'll find Balin and have him do the next few days' work." At Thorin's scowl she frowned. "Do you doubt he would?"

"Of course not," Thorin replied. "But I highly doubt he has the time-"

"There are others who can help as well. Leave it to me, Thorin. Sleep now." Thorin knew there was no arguing with Dis at this point; he was weak and bed ridden, and she was over protective. She took the cup from the stand by her brother's bed and kissed his temple. No matter how much he wanted to stay awake, she could see that as soon as he had no one in the room to talk to he would drift off again.

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**Review, please! You have no idea how many times I've told my friends that I'm so happy how much and great you all review. :) It got to the point where they were rolling their eyes at me and saying, "you've already told me this," or giving me this smile that screamed, "I'm being nice and patient 'cause it obviously means something to you, but ****_please _****stop talking." And readers... I'd love to annoy them again! :D**

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**Kimberly: More has been given. :) I'm glad you've enjoyed reading what I've got so far.**

**castielswingman: First: Awesome penname! :D Second: I do too. They're just adorable; I needed to write some of my own!**


	4. Fighting for the Hero

**A/N: Hey, all! Back for the time being...**

**I have _not _read through this yet, so... tell me if there's a mistake. This is before the sick one-shot. Speaking of, Part Two should be out soon, and we may need a Part 3... :/**

**elufuir, Kimberly, Guest, Autumn and Acidpop, the responses to your lovely reviews are at the bottom of the page.**

**I own nothing...**

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Thorin sat at the meal table as his sister bustled around him, preparing dinner. He had tried to help when he had come home from the smithy, but she had pushed him down with a firm look and scolded him for working too hard. Now he just sat idly, tapping his calloused and bruised fingers against the worn down wood. It was true that he had been overworking himself without much sleep; by the end of the day his whole body ached and he couldn't see clearly.

Normally, he wouldn't care. But his fatigue had gotten bad enough that it was showing in his craftsmanship. Thorin sighed when Dis set a cup of warm water in front of it, but took it and drank thankfully. "Where are the boys?" He asked when the cup was half empty. "They should be here, this close to meal time."

"They're out playing by the wood stack. If I heard right, Fili had found a stick straight enough to suffice as a sword, and Kili's happy to watch him and take notes when a beast is felled impressively." Brother and sister chuckled at the image for a few seconds, until Dis' cooking was finished. Taking the thickening soup from the fire, she tested it with a small spoon. Deeming it worthy of her family's stomachs, she nodded to Thorin. "Call them, will you?"

Thorin nodded at his distracted sister with a fond smile on his lips and lifted himself to seek out his two nephews. He found them, as Dis had said, by the wood pile, but not playing. Instead of the more peaceful passage of time, they were rolling on the ground, hands in eachothers' hair, and matching snarl for snarl and shout for shout.

It was during situations like these where Thorin could not honestly call himself a good uncle. He knew that he should rush to break up their fight and try to calm thir anger, but it was rare that Dis' soft boys broke into violence when they had a disagreement, and even rarer that Thorin was able to see their strengths set against each other.

So he leaned against the door frame and silently observed the boys' scuffle. It was difficult to say who had the upper hand, considering neither were immobile for over a second before they were able to either kick or bite the other. Once in a while Fili would be able to throw Kili, or the other way around, but then he'd get tripped and they'd be on each other again. They were rather harmless to each other until Kili managed to actually pin his older brother down and get a few good hits in. Thorin was already ready to intervene when Fili's nose started bleeding. Thorin made his way over to the boys. "Kili!"

His youngest nephew dropped his raised fist and looked behind him, already slipping an innocent look. "Uncle! You're home."

Thorin shot him a stern look and pulled him off of Fili by the collar. "What is this about?" Kili had the grace to only look down and kick the dirt with his feet, so Thorin looked to the slightly older dwarf.

Fili raised himself on one elbow and swiped at his nose with the back of his hand. While he did speak, his words weren't very helpful. "Nothing serious, Uncle. We're both past it." At the last part he sent a warning glance toward his brother, though he couldn't visually receive it.

"It was serious enough that you would fight your in over it. Now," Thorin lowered himself onto the ground. "tell me what the trouble is."

"We were just playing." Fili sat fully up. "It got out of hand."

"How?" This time Thorin looked to Kili.

"We both wanted to be someone. We couldn't both play y-him, so we decided to fight over it. I was winning." Apparently that last part was worth adding.

"Who did you want to be?" Fili and Kili looked to each other, Kili biting his lip. "Well?"

"It's embarrassing," Fili said.

"It can't possibly be so bad you can't tell me." Thorin was getting too curious to let this go.

"You."

Thorin froze. "What?"

"We wanted to play you," Fili explained. "We were fighting the dragon, and it got to the part where you were gonna kill it! But then Kili said he wanted to be you and - well, so did I, and..."

"You fought over the position."

"Yes." Thorin didn't know whether to be flattered that his nephews would fight over being able to call themselves Thorin, or upset. But before he thought too hard on that, there was something he had to ask.

"You do know that I didn't kill Smaug, correct?"

"Not the first time," Kili said. "But later you come back to get the mountain again. Then you kill it."

"Then why not play as yourselves?" Thorin smiled at the confused looks on his nephews faces. "Why is it me who slays the dragon? When you're older you will be as fit to do it as me. Possibly even more so."

Fili and Kili's eyes widened. "You mean _we_ could do it?"

"Indeed you could. If you grow strong stay brave. And eat well," he added as an after thought. "And you can start now. Come and eat. Your mother is waiting for us."

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**So, what'd you think? Tell me in a review, _please!_ And late happy new year! I forgot to say that on the first...**

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**elufuir: Thank you! Great request! :D I should get to that right about now... Happy New Year!**

**Guest: Thank you!**

**Kimberly: Thanks so much! :)**

**Autumn: They actually don't. I don't think FF interests them too much. Thank you! :D Late Happy New Year!**

**Acidpop: Thanks! :) I'm glad you think so!**


	5. Fallen Ill Part 2 - for sph9swc

**A/N: Fifth chapter, yay! *celebrations* Part 2 of _Fallen Ill _for sph9swc. Sorry, it turns out there will be a part 3... I take way too much time to write stuff. Sorry, guys. :( And tell me if you have ideas for adventures of baby sitting! :D I need help... Though I do have a plan... sorta.**

**Kimberly, Autumn, and XxchroniclexX. The replies to your reviews are at the bottom of the page. :)**

Thorin coughed harshly and grimaced when the action tore at his throat. Soon enough, his sister came in with a cup of water; she must have heard him. Dis held his head up, as well as the cup while he drank from it. "You didn't listen to me," she said, pulling back a loose strand of hair from his face. "I told you you were ill."

"It will pass soon enough," he countered.

"It's been two days and you've only gotten worse. How is your head?" She asked when he winced.

"Expanded. And more painful," he had to admit.

Dis felt his forehead and found her own hand cooler than his own skin. "I am going to bring you a cool cloth," she said. Her brother nodded and closed his eyes.

When Dis made to leave, she saw two heads poke in the door way. "What do you need, children?"

"Is he really sick now?" Fili asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Dis frowned.

The boys approached now and Fili was soon holding his mother's hand. "Before Uncle said he was just tired. And that you were being extra careful. Now he's letting you bring his food and hold his head up. He should be strong enough to do that by himself now."

"Your uncle is weak for the time being. He has over worked himself and his body needs to catch up on all of his missed sleep so bad it won't even let him walk around."

"So he's trapped on the bed?" Kili asked. "We could push him off," he stated thoughtfully. "Would that wake his legs up?"

Dis couldn't help but laugh, but stopped when Thorin stirred slightly. "No, Kili. I do not think that would work. What _will_ work, though, is time and rest. I don't want to see you two in here again."

"Yes, Mother," came the little automatic responses.

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A few minutes later the boys were gone playing and Dis was sitting by Thorin's bed, pressing a damp rag onto his forehead. "Who has taken over my work?"

"Balin and Dwalin have helped the most. Others step in often when they are in need of a break or have to tend to their own duties. Many have requested to see you, but I decided that should wait until you are healthier. Though Balin is coming here soon to watch Fili and Kili while I'm away."

"Away?"

Dis dipped the cloth in cool water and nodded. "I'm going to the market to fetch some medicines for you. I will be back before sunset, without a doubt." Then she laughed at a thought. "Balin will have his hands full with my two alone."

"You mean he won't be bringing reinforcement?" Thorin joked, but then started to cough again. His throat was soothed with more water, and he was told to sleep.

"I'm not your child, Dis," he reminded her.

She only smiled and smoothed back his hair. "You are right now." Oh, how he yearned for the day he could actually talk back to his elder sister instead of just obey what ever she said...

* * *

Not an hour later, a hand knocked loudly on the door of Thorin's home. But not loud enough for Fili and Kili, who were rough housing under the meal table, to hear it. Again the impact sounded, but still the door was not answered. Finally, after a series of playful pushes and shoves, the youngest dwarf slammed into the door just in time to feel the final knock from his side of the door. He jumped when he felt and heard it and scurried quickly over to his brother with what could almost be called a yelp.

"Balin!" Fili cried when he heard a shout from the outsude. "Balin's here!" The door was opened by two pairs of little hands together and true enough, Balin was standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Finally," Balin said. "I was beginning to wonder if anyone was home!" The dwarf stepped inside and thanked Kili when the small boy took his cloak. Soon enough Dis came out from her brother's room with a tired smile gracing her lips.

"Balin," she greeted. "Thank you for doing this." She wrapped a heavy shawl 'round her shoulders and took his hand.

"Not at all, my dear," came the response. "It's my pleasure. The smithy was getting stuffy and I was in the mood for an adventure... in the form of two little miscreants, he added as an after thought. "How is he?" Balin looked to be glad to ask that question.

"Worse than I would hope, but nothing serious has befallen him. The stubborn dwarf has just worked himself to exhaustion. The children should stay out of his room unless he's awake and asks for company. It would be good to slip in once in a while and give him some water, if you would. And there is soup still hot on the table in case any one gets hungry."

"And the front door can be used in case of a fire. I know how to tend the sick _and_ to look after children, Dis. Go now. The sooner you get back the sooner Thorin is healthy once again." Dis nodded and was gone. "Well, now." Balin turned to Fili and Kili, who were standing off to the side with bored looks already sliding to the surface of their faces. "What were you boys up to before I came along?"

"We were playing under the table," Kili answered. "But Fili was winning so I don't want to do that any more."

Balin laughed at the young dwarf's words and his brother's proud look and gestured for for the boys to follow him as he sat down on a chair closer to Thorin's room than the others. "Well, Laddie, I'm sure we can find something to entertain ye easy enough."

Fili and Kili practically skipped over to Balin and Fili hung on his knee. "We could hide," he offered. "And you find us?"

Balin sighed and already looked slightly weary at the thought. "Oh, dear. I can look for you fine, but I'll be making no promises to find you."

The boys cheered and ran off together, the youngest yelling over his shoulder that Balin should count quite a many seconds before chasing after them. Balin huffed and fell a bit further into his seat. While at the moment they seemed all sweet and pure of heart, he had watched over the little tykes before. It wouldn't be long before they were somewhere, or doing something, that they shouldn't.

* * *

**Review, _please!_ I can't really express to you how much they mean to me. :)_  
_**

**elifuir: Of course! :D No problem. I'm sorry you needed cheering up, but I'm glad I could help.**

**Autumn: No problem! :D They have a few epic fics on here that they like to read, and one friend looks at my Avengers stuff (she was supposed to look at this too), but other than that, not much. :) Without a doubt, this place is a time-consumer.**

**XxchroniclexX: It did indeed help. :) Thank you. WHile I understand silent readers (I was once one myself) reviews are very nice. Thank you!**


	6. Nightmare - for Starkreactor

**A/N: Starkreactor: asked for Thorin helping Kili through a nightmare. :) This is what I came up with. Shorter than I expected, but... here you go, Starkreactor! Is it to your liking?**

**Word Count: 797**

* * *

Thorin huffed and rolled on to his other side as easily he could in his small bed. He had been asleep for only a few hours, judging by the lack of change in the night sky, and for the life of him, he could not think of what had woken him up when he was this tired. Closing his eyes again, Thorin tried to focus on the silence around him, hoping that it would lull him to sleep. But just when he couldn't remember what he had last been thinking about, he heard something.

It wasn't loud or distinguishable. In fact, it took Thorin a while to realize that a sound had been made. He held still and listening intently for any more noise, but heard nothing. Dismissing it as the wind, he pushed his head deeper into his pillow, intending to get a bit more sleep. But when he was just drifting off, he heard it again - clearer this time. A small, muffled sound. The tired dwarf would have ignored it again if it hadn't been louder than the last and lacking the harsh whistle of the wind. Raising his head and propping his upper body up on his elbows, he held his breath to see if he couldn't hear the sound again.

This time, it was perfectly clear. The noise wasn't wind at all, or anything like it. It was small, but loud. It was frightened and desperate. It was one of his nephews. Thorin was out of his bed in an instant, and running through the short hall in another. There was no guessing what was wrong with his boys, or even considering what he would do when he discovered Fili and Kili's door was opened slightly so the shoulder that Thorin used to push it out of his way was unneeded, but it got the attention of Fili, who was worriedly leaning over his younger brother's bed and trying to wake him by shaking his arm.

There was relief in Fili's eyes when he saw his uncle in the doorway and he stepped back from Kili's bed, biting his lip. "He won't wake up," Fili stated quietly. "I think he's having a bad dream."

Thorin was kneeling down by his youngest nephew in no time at all. Kili flinched back when Thorin carefully pulled some hair from his face and whimpered quietly that it was nearly drowned out by Thorin's surprisingly gentle voice, calling him from his nightmare. "Little One," he voiced softly. "Wake up." Kili shuddered and gave a strangled cry before his eyes flashed open and he jolted up against his uncle's arms. "Hush, Kili," Thorin whispered when he let out a weak sob and he pulled Kili from his bed and into his arms.

"It was so scary," the boy sniffled when his arms were wrapped securely around his uncle's shoulders and his small hand taken hold of his hair. "I thought I was awake." Kili nodded several times and buried his face deeper into the crook of Thorin's neck.

Thorin held his nephew's head and hushed him when his voice broke. "You are awake now and I am here - to protect you. Nothing can hurt you now that I'm with you."

Uncle and nephews sat together in the dark in safe and soothing silence, with Kili in Thorin's lap and Fili resting his head on his knee, until the youngest's breaths had evened out once more and his body was slack in his uncle's arms. After sending Fili to his bed, Thorin slowly and maneuvered Kili back into his. The little dwarf did not stir until he made to leave. Kili opened his eyes and reached for his uncle's hand. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my own room, Little One. I thought that you were asleep."

"I was," Kili frowned. "But then you tried to leave and it got frightening again." Thorin sighed. As much as he wanted to stay with his nephew, his work tomorrow would be difficult without sleep. "Could I go with you?"

Thorin smiled and pulled Kili into his arms. He looked to Fili, who was smiling softly. "Will you be alright on your own?" The blonde smiled and nodded, snuggling deeper into his blankets.

* * *

Thorin tucked Kili into his own bed before laying down beside him and pulling him close. Kili threw an arm around his uncle's chest and nuzzled closer into his night shirt. "Night, Uncle," the little dwarfling mumbled sleepily, finally feeling safe and ready for sleep.

Thorin sighed and closed his eyes. "Good night, my young nephew. Sleep well."

Kili smiled. "I will, now that you're here."

* * *

**Review, please!  
**


	7. Fallen Ill Part 3 - for sph9sw

**Finally! An update! I'm sorry for the long wait. So, so, so sorry. This is the final part of _Fallen Ill,_ requested by sph9swc. Thanks for the lovely request.**

**It seems that this babysitting "adventure" turned out very different than everybody thought it would; much more tame. I'm sorry for that. I really liked your ideas (I truly did), but it just turned out different than even I expected. :)**

**Before we get started, I need to address a small problem. I honestly don't mind Guest reviews at all. But I have to admit that I'm sure what to do when I get (as it is in this case) three different reviews from the same name "Guest". I don't know how to reply to thoswe. So if you could (when you review without signing in) sign with a name (#1 for all I care) that would be so much appreciated. :D Thanks!**

**And I'm sorry for not thanking those who have favorited and followed recently; for not replying to the Guest reviews for chapter 5. I've picked it up again, though. If you follow, favorite, or review, it's pretty certain you'll get a "thank you". :)**

**Word Count: 1,490**

* * *

Fili huffed and pushed his brother's boot away from his face. He was about to tell him off for shoving it there, but decided to hold his breath instead when he heard Balin pass the closed door of their room and saw his boots through the bottom crack. He knew Kili was doing the same and couldn't help the shiver that ran through his body when their pursuer passed their hiding area without any pause and his foot steps trailed down the hall. The excitement of a chase was rather much for a young dwarf.

"Is he gone?" Kili asked quietly when they couldn't hear Balin's steps any more.

"Shush!" He hissed back. "If he isn't then he just found us!"

Kili rolled his eyes. "Well, you're being louder than me now. He might not have heard _me,_ but you?" He scoffed. "We're caught."

"Yeah right. I was whispering. And he's gone any way, so there's no chance of that."

"So I was right? Then why'd you get mad at me?"

"I- I wasn't... _mad_ at you! I was just-"

"You yelled at me!"

"I was _whispering!"_

"You were whisper yelling!"

"Boys?" Both Fili and Kili jumped high at the sleepy voice coming from above them and hit their heads on the bed they were hiding under. They crawled out on their hands and knees before standing, trying to give off the impression that they were_ supposed_ to be in their uncle's room, and fighting under his bed.

"Hello, Uncle!" Kili greeted innocently.

"Did you rest well?"

"Do you need something to drink?"

"Water?"

"An extra blanket?"

Too bad for them, their uncle was still mostly asleep and not ready to answer any questions. Instead, he stuck to his own. "What are you doing in here?"

"Well, uh..."

"That's a good question, Uncle!" Fili cut in. "And we can answer it too. We were just checking on you!"

"Oh," came the simple answer. "Well, I'm fine. You may leave. And try to be quiet." He seemed to go back to sleep, but opened his eyes and raised his head again when he realized that his two nephews were still standing there rather awkwardly. "Why are you still here?" He asked, rather roughly.

"You were kind of our hiding spot," Kili said. "We're hiding from Balin."

"Oh? And does he know to be looking for you?"

"It's a game. He passed us just a bit ago."

"Well..." Thorin sighed. "I suppose you can stay here," he consented. "You two are lucky I'm too tired to be angry at you for disturbing my sleep," he warned them.

"And we're grateful too!" Kili replied as he and Fili pulled a chair over to Thorin's bed side.

"Do you want to keep sleeping, Uncle?" Fili asked. "We can be quiet." Kili was already up and on the bed so he climbed on the chair.

"I highly doubt you can," Thorin smirked. "And I am awake now. There is no point in sleeping any longer."

"Mother says the longer you rest the better you get," Kili objected.

"Not better at crafting." He first frowned, but smiled with a thought to change the topic. "You said Balin was here?" The boys nodded. "What have you done with him so far?"

"Just this," Kili said. As soon as he came in he sat down, so we asked if he wanted to play. He said yes and we ran away."

"And how long do you think this game has been going on?"

"Just a few minutes, I think," Fili answered. "It would have gotten boring soon if you hadn't woken up. He didn't even check this room."

Thorin smirked. "Balin has never been one for games. He will encourage you all day long, but as soon as he's asked to participate, his views change. I remember once, when I was just a small lad, I would play this game with your mother in the mountain. Well - your mother didn't like the game much, but I enjoyed it every time.

"Once in a while, I would hide something that belonged to her - a bracelet, a doll, or her favorite necklace. When she finally noticed it was missing - some times it would take days - she would know that I was the one who took it." Kili giggled quietly and settled in by rolling on his back and resting his head on his uncle's leg. "She would come up to me with such a look on her face and demand her possessions back, but I wouldn't consent. Instead, I'd say which room the trinket was hidden in and make her find it.

"Finally, after enough time, she finally got so fed up with my game that she went to the first person she saw for help. That person just happened to be Balin. Your mother explained our situation to the dwarf, who listened patiently. But when she asked him to make me give her doll back, he wouldn't. He said that the game sounded fun and she shouldn't take too long finding it since I had told her what room it was in."

Thorin laughed with his nephews as they all imagined Dis' face, but Fili only for a few seconds before shushing his family. "We're hiding from Balin," he reminded them.

Kili nodded seriously, so Thorin continued his story in a hushed tone. "It took only a few minutes for Dis to lose her patience and seek Balin out once more. When we found him and she asked for help again; he still refused." We were on our way back to the dining hall - which was where I had hidden her comb - when she turned again and demanded his services as a searching partner, and reasoned that she shouldn't have to suffer on her own. It took not fifteen minutes of Balin knocking his head on the underside of the table whilst searching for a small child's comb before giving up and convincing me to show them where it was."

"Where was it?" Kili jumped up and rolled back onto his stomach with the question, feet kicking each other in the air behind him and his chin resting on his palms.

A mischievous sparkle found its way to Thorin's eyes when he smiled. It was just small enough to fit easily in a crack in the table without being seen."

Fili and Kili giggled at the hiding place and Fili was just about to ask for another story when Balin knocked softly on the door before peeking his head in. His eyes narrowed in scorn at seeing the boys there and talking to their uncle, but his shoulders sagged in relief; he had been afraid the boys had run outside. "What are you two rascals doing in here? Your uncle's supposed to be sleeping!"

Balin was well on his way ushering the children out of the room and Thorin smiled softly. It's alright, Balin. I was just telling them a tale while they were waiting for you to finally make your way over here."

"Yes? And what tale was that?" Fili and Kili had run off in the direction of the dining room and Balin took the seat that Fili had just abandoned.

There was no need to answer, though; two small voices floated into the room through the open door and the two older dwarves could hear the conversation almost perfectly.

* * *

Fili and Kili made their way to the dining room without delay and began to thoroughly examine the table. While Fili took the legs, his younger brother (with the assistance of a chair) climbed on top of the table and felt with his small fingers for anything bigger than notches.

"Do you see anything?" Fili asked when he found the legs in disappointing good shape.

"No... Wait!" Kili yelled when he found a small pocket on the side of the table. "I think I found something!"

"Really?" Fili ran to the corner where Kili was sitting and examined what the little dwarf had found, but sighed when he saw it. "It's not big enough to fit anything in there, Kili. Besides. This'll probably be the first place they look if we take something."

"Yeah." Kili nodded and slid off the table with some help from his brother.

* * *

Thorin chuckled when he heard what his nephews were saying and Balin shook his head, smiling softly. "They'd follow you anywhere, Thorin. You mean more to your boys than probably even they realize."

"I know that," Thorin replied. "I am lucky to have them, especially in times such as these - where an innocent and carefree smile is so rare..."

"You have two nephews who shine them brighter than the sun." Balin finished for him.

* * *

**I have this fear that since I took so long to update I've lost my readers. Please review to assure me that you're still here!**

* * *

**Chris: Thank you! :D I'm so glad you're enjoying it.**

**Nadia g: Thanks! Sorry it took me so long to update.**

**Grace: While I really appreciate your suggestion, I'm sorry but I don't know what more I could do with sick!Thorin and only a one-shot for space and time; it would be awkward rushed drama. :) Maybe someday I can write a bigger fanifc for sick Uncle Thorin.**

**Guests: I'm truly sorry for having to group you together. My messages to you all are just so similar I don't know how you'd know who I'm talking to. Mostly, I just want to say "thanks". I'm really glad you three are enjoying the stories. Remember that if you have a request just leave it in a review.**

**Autumn: Thank you for the compliments. You don't know how glad I am that my story has been accepted as a good one. :D**


	8. Kury - for CrazyAce'n'PokerFace

**Author's Note: I feel like the most horrible writer on ff. You guys are wonderful, with your readings, favorites and reviews… And here I am, waiting almost another three months 'til updating. I feel horrible. Like I feared, I lost some reviewers and many, many visitors in my absence. I guess I brought it on myself. Thank you so much, all who stuck with me (in reading and/or reviewing) and I'm so grateful that you're here and enjoying my work.**

**This one-shot is made after a request from CrazyAce'n'PokerFace. It's an adorable idea, and (even though it took me three months) I loved writing it. But CrazyAce'n'PokerFace, tell me if there's anything you want edited. I feel like I didn't do it right and, since it's your request, I want you to tell me if there's anything you want changed.**

**There's a longer A/N at the end with a question that kinda needs answering. If you wouldn't mind checking it out after reading...**

**Chris and Guest, the responses to your reviews on Chapter Seven are in the second author's note.**

**Word Count: 1,720**

* * *

It was a beautiful and sunny day – the kind where children would wish to leave their chores to their mothers and race down to the skinny brook down the side of the hill opposite to their home, leaving the women who raised them to grumble by themselves before abandoning their own house tasks to work in the garden and enjoy the fresh air - only Fili and Kili were good sons and their mother had no garden to go to outside. So they worked together inside their crowded and hot house, occasionally taking small breaks to stand by a window or outside the front door. Whenever one of them felt like complaining, they would only need to think of Thorin, who was working hard in his smithy and near the fires and steams of his work place; they would suddenly feel warmer and grateful for their cool water and windows.

It was what we would call Spring Cleaning; inch after inch was dusted, scrubbed, and near sparkling by the end of it. The boys had rare permission to enter every single room of the house in order to clean it. They had just finished exploring the rarely entered sleeping place of their mother while playing a game that Dis had made up to keep them entertained:

They started out with ten points. For each space that Fili cleaned, he would gain half a point, and Kili would lose one, and the other way around. At the end of the cleaned room, they would compare points; whoever had the least got to snitch-with-permission twice as much pudding that their mother was making as his brother did. With a new room there was a new game with ten points each.

The two young dwarves sprinted through the halls toward the kitchen, hollering to each other that they would "get there first"; while Kili had won the last race of cleaning, Fili maintained that he was still the fastest runner. They rushed through the walkway between the kitchen and the meal room, narrowly missing their mother in the short journey to the large bowl, which placed on a chair so that the children could more easily reach it. She held the newly cleaned plates high above her head in an attempt to protect them, and half–heartedly scolded her sons for their carelessness.

Kili took his spoon and dug out what was far past more than just his dinnerware's size, and talentedly fit the whole thing in his mouth. Fili, on the other hand, took his time with his own, considering he only got one spoonful. Kili had just finished his second serving before Dis ushered them out with a warning not to come back in again. "I'm making a surprise," she said with a secret smile when they asked her why.

"When do we get to know what it is?" Kili tugged on his brother's hand with anticipation when he asked the question.

"You'll know when your uncle comes home. It's for him too."

"Will we like it?"

"Of course, Kili!" Dis smiled. "It's been a favorite in this family for many generations. Now, you're done cleaning for the day. You've done more than enough work for your ages and deserve a break." She shooed them from the doorway and turned to her cupboards, leaving them to do nothing more than obey orders.

With nearly identical giggles, the brothers hurried off to the front door and to wait for Thorin's figure to climb out of the top of the hill while the setting sun sank. "What do you think she meant by that?" Fili asked. "It's been a favorite."

"It has to be food," Kili replied in a hushed voice."

This made sense, so Fili accepted it. "Then it _has_ to be good."

* * *

Thorin arrived not two hours later, though to the boys, it felt like mere minutes and excruciatingly long days. Minutes, because they had fallen into an interesting game of playing dead until the other one made them move without touching them, and days because the smell of their mother's cooking had soon carried out of the kitchen windows and to their nostrils.

Fili was all but drooling in anticipation, and his stomach had begun to state its excitement as well with loud and unashamed growls of hunger. Kili, though, was in torment. Never before had he smelled food so… nasty. He was close to hoping that what was coming from their mother's baking was not the surprise they were told about; he was afraid of what the meal would taste like if _this_ was just the smell.

He ran with Fili to meet his uncle on the road, but after the usual greetings and welcomes home, he was beat to asking the question both he and his brother had been waiting to ask for the last two hours: "What's the family's favorite meal for generations?"

Thorin's brow wrinkled with a quizzical look. "The _favorite_ meal?" He asked, stooping down so that his oldest nephew could climb onto his back. "I must say, Fili. We dwarves are well known for our appetites," he chuckled when he heard his sister's boys snicker. "but if I had to choose one, it would not be difficult, and the answer would be Kuri."

"Kuri? What's that?" Kili's nose wrinkled and his stomach turned at the name when he thought of the smell waiting for them at the house.

"It's deer prepared a certain way. I'm not quite sure how, but the spices and sauces mixed into that meat is unbelievable."

"Sounds great. We're having it tonight," Fili informed Thorin.

"Fili! Mother said it was supposed to be a surprise!" Kili stared up at his brother with a look in his eyes that was close to one of those betrayed.

Thorin laughed out loud and put Fili down easily. "Do not worry, Little One. I will not let on to your mother that I know."

* * *

They sat down at the dining table, the boys smiling at Dis' happy humming and their success in keeping their knowledge hidden, judging by the dwarf mother's secretive smile, still held in place. She placed a large, covered dish in the center of the table and sat down beside her brother. Her lifting the lid relieved Thorin of his silence. "It was a hot day to be making Kuri, Dis. What made you think of it?"

"This meal has always been a reward for the hard-working. My boys helped with the cleaning, and you spent the entire day in the smithy. I'm proud of the three of you and thought this would be the perfect treat."

Predictably, Fili thought that this would be a perfect time to speak up. "But you cook for us! No one else does that, and no one could do a better job." To support his words, Fili took a long sniff of the scent rising from the food in front of them and snitched a bite of the potatoes.

Thorin chuckled and admitted that there was no disagreeing while Kili reached over to hug his mother and kiss her cheek.

Now, in case you have forgotten, Kili was not as anticipating as his brother and uncle when he saw the food that he was supposed to eat and enjoy. In fact, he was rather anxious. Just like every dwarf, he loved meat… but something was different here. _Something _smelled disgusting. He bit his lip and obediently handed hit plate to Thorin when it was his turn to be served, and picked up his fork like everybody else when it was time to eat. But when they all tasted the food, he was the only one with a sour expression on his face.

If someone were to ask what the substance tasted like that moment, he would have replied simply, "bad". But Fili had his eyes closed in delight, and the adults had their eyes fixed on their plates. He briefly considered spitting his bite back out onto the plate, but thought better of it; anyone could see that his mother basked in the praise she received for her cooking, and that would surely be seen as an insult. So he chewed tenderly and quickly swallowed.

"What makes it so… sour?"

"You're probably tasting the Chuf cheese," Dis replied. "I don't think you or Fili would have had a chance to eat any before today; it's very expensive-"

"And very good!" Fili was practically bouncing in his seat. "Isn't it great, Kili?"

Kili smiled instead of wincing. "It's good. I haven't ever tasted something like this before."

"You can say that again!" Though the words could barely be understood through the foot occupying Fili's mouth, they were, and everybody laughed at what he said. Kili silently agreed.

* * *

When the family was nearly finished with dinner (save Kili, whose plate was still a third of the way full), Dis called her youngest son to the kitchen to help her bring out the dessert. Slipping from his seat, Kili raced to meet with his mother, because the idea of a sweet after-meal is enough to get any child's feet moving. When he got there, it was to see her smiling fondly at him. "You didn't like Supper, did you?"

The look on her son's face was near priceless. She had never before seen someone look so adorably guilty, yet entirely innocent at the same time. "It was good!" His voice was tiny and, surprisingly, honest. So her son was a good liar. "Just not my favorite." There.

"It's alright if you don't like it, Kili. I didn't fancy it much when I was a child either. I even thought you might not. Which is why…" she reached behind her and pulled a large platter of cakes and pudding cups off the counter. "I made plenty of sweets for after dinner."

Kili's smile stretched the farthest it had that week at what was before him, and held out his hands in an offer to take the platter from his mother.

* * *

Needless to say, looking back, Kili didn't care at all that the dinner was worth fretting over. He quite enjoyed the treats afterwards, and the drinks that washed the cheesy taste from his mouth. Though he could have done without the stomach ache afterwards…

* * *

**A/N:**

**Chris: Thank you! I'm glad you thought so, and hope you still do. Thank you for taking the time to review! ^_^**

**Guest: Thanks! I'm sooo happy you're liking the one-shots.**

**Now for the question...**

**I'd like to ask now if any of you mind your requests being combined with others'. Example: ****_shinyisbetterthanrockin' _****asks me to write a one-shot where Fili and Kili braid Thorin's hair and ****_it'snotabeardit'samoustache _****asks me to write one where Kili picks flowers for his mother. May I combine them so that one one-shot starts with Kili picking the flowers and giving them to Dis and ends with Thorin sporting his new hairstyle and pretending to admire himself in a mirror?**

**Of course, these pennames and requests are not real to my knowledge, (though I half like the story ideas) but you get the idea. :) So! If you've requested any one-shots, either PM me your answer or leave it in a review with your thoughts on my latest chapter! :D The last suggestion preferred.**

**Wow. I guess almost three month's absense means I have alot to talk about... Squeezing this in real quick: Review, please?**

**P.S. Do I make it obvious that Fili's my favorite dwarf? The fear just struck me that I'm neglecting Kili (who seems to be ****_everyone's_**** favorite. Maybe I'm neglecting Fili in hopes that I won't ignore Kili. Thoughts?  
**


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